Dare I Ask? Did Bob Marley die a Christian?

I know it's really not my business nor my concern but over the past couple days I've become obsessed with this news and want to hear what other people have to say or think. Please be nice...to me...lol

Several independent sources confirm the account of Marley’s conversion from Rasta religion to Christianity. Rastafarians use the Bible as a Holy Book but believe that deceased former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, is the Messiah of the Bible and worship him. The title “Ras Tafari” was a title given to Selassie in his home country as a political ruler. The Rastafarians adopted the name for themselves. Marley became a Rasta as a youth and infused the Rasta lifestyle and beliefs into his music. With his trademark dreadlocks, socially conscious lyrics and Afrocentric consciousness, Marley put the Rasta movement on the global music scene. And some of the lyrics were anti-Christian. Biblical Christianity was often perceived in the Rasta movement as a product of the White race and Western society, also known as “Babylon.”

Despite having literal worshipers, Selassie himself was a Christian and member of the Ethiopian Orthodox church. “He always rejected the view that he was the second Christ,” explains the Reverend of Holy Trinity Church, where Selassie attended later in life. “He always remained a Christian.” Unlike many false prophets and messianic figures who have come and gone through the years, Selassie never claimed to be the Christ or God. He also never followed or led the Rastafari movement. It was the rare case where one was basically “selected” as messiah. In an interview with Canada’s CBC news in 1967, Selassie stated: “I have heard of that idea [that I am divine]. I also met certain Rastafarians. I told them clearly that I am a man, that I am mortal, and that I will be replaced by the oncoming generation, and that they should never make a mistake in assuming or pretending that a human being is emanated from a deity.” Selassie died in 1975, prompting many Rastas to proclaim his death was a hoax, while others claimed Selassie was still existing, just no longer in bodily form. Despite his death proving that he did not fulfill the Bible’s prophecies about the Second Coming of the Messiah (who will come and rule and reign on a His throne forever), and Selassie’s own personal denials, many Rastas today still insist on Selassie’s divinity.

Selassie commissioned Abuna Yesehaq to start a church in Jamaica to specifically preach to the Rasta community and turn them from worship of him and towards worship of the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. In a 1984 interview with the Jamaica Gleaner’s Sunday magazine titled “Abuna Yesehaq Looks Back on 14 Years of Ministry in Jamaica”, Yesehaq spoke of Marley’s desire to convert to Christianity. “Bob was really a good brother, a child of God, regardless of how people looked at him,” Yesehaq said. “He had a desire to be baptized long ago, but there were people close to him who controlled him and who were aligned to a different aspect of Rastafari. But he came to church regularly.”

While the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jamaica preaches that sacraments are required to receive God’s grace, which is an unbiblical stance (Christians are saved by their faith according to the Bible and not by any actions), Yesehaq’s confirm’s Marley’s converson to Christianity based on his faith and never mentions Marley being confirmed in the church, wearing a Mateb necklace or other Ethiopioan church ordinances. In the interview, Yesehaq also addressed claims that Marley’s terminal cancer was the motivation behind his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his personal saviour.

“When he toured Los Angeles and New York and England, he preached the Orthodox faith, and many members in those cities came to the Church because of Bob,” Yesehaq said. “Many people think he was baptized because he knew he was dying, but that is not so. He did it when there was no longer any pressure on him, and when he was baptized, he hugged his family and wept, they all wept together for about half an hour.”

Judy Mowatt recalled learning about Marley’s conversion to Christianity in an interview with Cross Rhythms radio. Marley, who died of cancer at the age of 36, was severely ill in his final days. Mowatt spoke with her former bandmate and Marley’s wife, Rita, about the late musician calling out to Jesus Christ on his death bed.

“When Bob was on his dying bed, his wife Rita called me on the phone and said to me that Bob was in such excruciating pain and he stretched out his hand and said, ‘Jesus take me.’ I was wondering to myself, ‘Why is it that Bob said Jesus and not Selassie,’” Mowatt questioned. “Then I met a friend of mine and he said his sister, who is a Christian, was a nurse at the hospital where Bob was before he passed on, and she led him to the Lord Jesus Christ. So when Rita saw him saying ‘Jesus take me,’ he had already received the Lord Jesus Christ in his life.” (source)

So Mowatt confirms that it was not the Orthodox Ethiopian Church that led to Marley’s conversion but a nurse during one of his hospital visits. After hearing of Marley’s conversion, Mowatt soon found herself on her own spiritual journey:

“I was a Rasta for 22 years and I was genuine. I embraced the objectives of Rastafari, knowing that one of the aims and objectives were to repatriate to the land of our ancestors. And also to make music to let people be aware of who they are as a people and knowing that the western hemisphere is only a place for them to pass through, but we should return to our father’s land. That was my plan, but God had a different plan! After 22 years I became very unfulfilled, dissatisfied; not by any one thing or by any one person but I started to search inside because I [realised] that there was something else that I needed that I could not put my hand on. I knew that God was calling me into deeper waters. I was a little bit fearful because I was wondering what my brothers and sisters would say and what would be their reaction. So I was a bit fearful.”

“I was at a place where I thought I wanted to die but I never had the strength to take my own life. I started praying and I said, ‘God, I really don’t know you because if I knew you, then all of this would not have been happening to me.’ Not knowing that God had used that situation to draw me to him. I started reading my Bible. I had read my Bible three times from cover to cover and I started reading, but the things I was seeing this fourth time were what I never saw in the three times I read my Bible.”

She continued, “I was seeing it through another pair of lenses. I read, ‘Wherein, there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved, but by the name of Jesus Christ.’ That flew out of the Bible and into my spirit and that really turned the key. Whenever you have a mindset and you seriously believe something, you’re not going to open to anything else, and I wasn’t open to anything else. But God opened me to start seeking and searching.” (source)

Mowatt is now a Gospel reggae performer. When asked why the story of Marley rejecting the Rastafari for Christianity is not more well-known she stated: “If people knew, they would be drawn to Jesus Christ. Nobody wants to promote that in Jamaica. I said it on a popular television programme over there and a Rasta man met me and asked me why did I have to say that? I told him it was because it’s the truth! But he never wanted me to reveal that and I think that nobody wants it to be revealed because so many people would be drawn to Jesus.” Bob Marley’s official website doesn’t even mention his conversion, (although a number of fan sites do.)

Tommy Cowan was Bob Marley’s business managers for years while Marley was touring the world. Cowan, who was a very staunch rastafarian, recalls the time of Marley’s conversion:

“Bob Marley himself, before he died, he got baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,” Tommy says with much conviction. “What does Selassie teaches That Jesus Christ is the way. As a matter of fact, in one song you would have heard him militantly (saying) ‘how they crucified my Jesus Christ and they sold Marcus Garvey for rice.’One of his songs said, ‘Give us the teachings of his majesty because we don’t want the devil’s philosophy.’ Bob, Tommy recalls, called the bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and told him I need to be baptized now. Just recently Tommy was speaking with the said bishop who described Bob’s baptism. “At one point he (Bob) cried for 45 minutes non-stop; his tears wet the floor. And the Holy Spirit came down upon his body and he cried out Jesus Christ three times ‘Jesus my Savior, Jesus Christ…’” (source)

Like Mowatt, Cowan too eventually left the Rastafari movement to become a born again Christian:

“When I pursued the teachings of Rasta which is Haile Selassie, basically, Rasta would have had to be a Christian religion,” Tommy reasons. “Haile Selassie himself was a very, very observercommitted Christian and somehow through that whole faith it led me back to that place that I had to realize that it’s not about Islam, it’s not about Buddha, it’s not about Mohammed, it’s not about Selassie but at the name of Jesus that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.”

Thanks TM that pretty much sums it up and answers my question, not really sure how I feel about it, mostly because I was unaware of this fact until the other day and I have been listening to Bob Marley for decades.

I do believe the Orthodox Church in JA requires those coming from a Rastafarian background to their congregation state they repudiate the notion of the Emperor Selassie's divinity before being allowed to join the faith.

How bout do us a bigger favor and DO NOT define 'Christianity' ... thus sidestepping the frailties of our relatively un-evolved and immature race who are prone to arguing till life crashes about who got it most right.

Consider the parable bout a bunch of blind people trying to explain to each other exactly what is an elephant. One person puts their hands on the elephant leg and says: "the elephant is about 18 inches across and has a ruff puffy skin" ... next blind person feels the tusk and says: "No No you got it wrong - elephant is about 5 inch across and is hard and comes to a point" ... next blind person feels the belly and says: "No No you got it wrong - elephant is way way bigger and has a soft skin" etc etc etc.

How bout we just settle that God is love and avoid the negativity of negative people who have a pathological ego need for 'specialness'

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction" (Blaise Pascal 1623 - 1662)

"Be the change you want to see in the world" (Gandhi)

"Don't ask what this world needs. Ask what you can do to come alive and go do it because what this world needs is more people to come alive" (Howard Thurman - MLK's elder mentor)

"Were love prevails there is no will to rule" (Carl Jung)

"One who joyfully guards his mind and fears his own confusion can not fail. He has found his way to peace." (Buddha)

"Some people get lost in thought because its such unfamiliar territory" (G. Behn)

"Most people would die sooner than think; in fact, they do." (Bertrand Russell)

"My children will be known by the love they show one to another" (JC aka Yasus Christus)

"Return love for hate, peace for anger, hope for fear" (Big Blue)

& while on the quote tip - a message to those who mistakenly think Ja. Gangsta Rap is somehow reggae

"Music is a part of us and either ennobles or degrades our behavior" (Boethus)

Quotetahoearmada
Do us all a favor and define "CHristianity"
that will help the convo

nuff rastas say they're christians

According to the dictionary, a Christian is any person who practices Jesus's teachings, so indeed many Rastas would fit the bill. I think in the case of this discussion, Bob converted to the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian faith, therefore he was a an Orthodox "Christian" when he passed on.

Ah contrare mi idren ... It is obvious that billions do care - otherwise there would not be so much killing, war, starvation, poverty and injustice - all in the name of ism schism religion schemes. Its a hot topic even on this forum and you must care too because you got someting to say bout it.

"religion = mental illness" (Yabby You)

"to rule the people you got to fool the people and religion is the number one way to fool the people" (Yabby You)

Quotetahoearmada
Do us all a favor and define "CHristianity"
that will help the convo

nuff rastas say they're christians

According to the dictionary, a Christian is any person who practices Jesus's teachings, so indeed many Rastas would fit the bill. I think in the case of this discussion, Bob converted to the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian faith, therefore he was a an Orthodox "Christian" when he passed on.

Some will care about the distinction between and some will not. It all depends on if you believe that the specifics of your religion opens the gateway to heaven.

... at the name of Jesus that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.”

Observer

TM.. i am curious.. i found it fitting that you ended your piece with the above.. do you hold the same belief ? if that is too personal a question, then i understand.. or maybe i just read too much into things.. but just that line alone puts everything into perspective.. you couldnt have closed within anything else.. if you placed that quote anywhere else, the whole mood of your writeup would have been changed.. very powerful from start to finish.

right.. but ending the writeup with that quote, to me, means TM wanted it(the quote) to have some sort of effect.. he wanted to impress something on the reader.. or maybe TM just decided that quote found it's best place at the end of the piece.

or maybe i listen to too much conspiracy radio.. meaning, thinking too much into things.

Yellowbelly, you read too much into my words. The sole reason this was tagged on at the end is that it was the final words of my piece. I do not believe in God, religion, Jesus or Haile Selassie. I think we evolved out of creation and adapted out of our environment. Life happens by chance; it is not the design of an omnipotent being.

In spite of this I do believe in Ras Tafari, which I see as empowerment of the black slave, as crucial in its way as all black freedom movements from François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture through Martin Luther King and Michael X. I especially like the Nyabinghi order and it's cry of "death to all oppressors black or white".

Penny I appreciate you bringing this info to our attention ... howevah

you say:

"I do not believe in God, religion, Jesus or Haile Selassie. I think we evolved out of creation and adapted out of our environment. Life happens by chance; it is not the design of an omnipotent being."

Question - Have you ever had a dream, or a precognition, that it is somehow so profound or inexplicable, that you must wonder about the great mystery of life?

Have you ever had those very odd coincidences occur in your life, that defy statistical probabilities, and leave no option but to ponder the meaning of synchronicity?

so, I would like to let you know that when:

you say:

"I especially like the Nyabinghi order and it's cry of "death to all oppressors black or white".

Yes, that was the literal translation of Jomo Kenyata's Nyabinghi military arm, however there is a better way than the law of the jungle & the loving iriebinghi have a life-affirming higher interpretation:

"Life to all uplifiters black or white" (yellow tan & red too)

Did Kenyata's violence on violence ultimately help anything? Much of the Kenya of today is hell on earth.

Jomo Kenyata translates into the english as Burning Spear ... Mi love the brother's contribution to the golden age of reggae but, in the long run was that the wisest handle for Winston Rodney to embrace? Does it lead to the community's edification and the personal equanimity that now evades he who holds the handle?

IMO if the atheist evolutionist thing get to zealous, it become as unfortunate as the religious mindset the atheist argue against

Personally I check for: "In the beginning God created evolution"

If you think we are nothing but animals - it should be no surprise when we act like the animalistic law of the jungle

This debate of Creationism vs. Evolution unfortunately to often leads to bad vibes ... ultimately, what's important is people transforming to become better human beings and, when we have differences of opinion, cheerfully agreeing to disagree while living good, positive loving lives

"This debate of Creationism vs. Evolution unfortunately to often leads to bad vibes ..."
Funny you should say that because these things in my opinion are not mutualy exclusive. they are complements. The more I study quantum mechanics the more it makes sense

" what's important is people cheerfully agreeing to disagree & living good, positive loving lives"

YES I!! that is more important just want to express the evolution of love to the creationary vision of what is possible. We can create, therefore we can evolve.. and biology time is over. Its an evolution of your mind so step out and see the light.